The Wonder Years

She wonders where all her years went...

Today we celebrated my Mom's 60th birthday. We took her out to Tony Romas and then brought her home for presents (we bought her a DVD player and the Green Mile to go along with it). We tried to make her feel special without feeling too old. Ok, actally we tried to make her feel old (and I think it worked). What else are family for?

I think I was channelling my brother when I wrote my Mom's card, because try as hard as I did to be nice, I found myself writing the words "Sixty is not the end of the world, but it is freakin' old!"

Also today I had the pleasure of going with Beatrice to pick out her wedding dress. It is gorgeous, and I am very excited about the upcoming wedding.

Happy Birthday Daddy

I miss you.

Quote of the Week...

"I'll probably say it three more times. See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."
- President George W. Bush

President Participates in Social Security Conversation in New York

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where have you been?

At the Legislature with Corgies


Renaming the Provincial Musuem


At Dinner with the Prime Minister


Visiting Edmonton City Hall...

Well, it's official...

It can rain on the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II with our birthday cake

Boy were we wet! But we had great seats, 30 feet away from the Queen with a good view of the show. The 21 gun salute was really cool and I loved the CF18/Snowbird flyover, and as always the bagpipes and native dancing.

The Queen was beautiful. I forgot the camera so I had to steal a picture for the blog. It's a picture of the Queen with our birthday cake, shaped like our Legislature Building and protuding from a map of Alberta. It was really awesome.

Lets hope it doesn't rain tomorrow! God Save the Queen!

Getting the party started

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Tomorrow I am taking my children, husband, Quynn and Deven to see the Queen at our Centennial Birthday Celebrations. My children will also have a chance to see the Queen at the Leg and the Provincial Museum over the next couple of days.

I was about Raven's age when I first saw the Queen, in Nanaimo BC (March 8th 1983). Ofcourse, it was raining as we waited for the royal yacht Britannia to pull into the harbour. Actually, it had been raining for days (that's the west coast). There was some concern that the Queen might not get off the boat in the downpour and I remember my father stating that "It wouldn't dare rain on the Queen."

Moments later the Britannia sailed in and settled at the dock. Then the rain stopped, the clouds split and the sun shone. My eyes grew very wide indeed as I watched the Queen get off the boat and walk towards us in sunshine, a truly magical and beautiful woman. I never forgot that moment, and even now it's magic still touches me.

I am a Royalist, I come from a long line of Royalists, and it's a part of our heritage I am happy to pass on to my kids. I have always been very fond of the Queen, since before I can remember. I loved Princess Diana, whom I met in 1986 (also in Nanaimo), and I enjoyed meeting (and guarding) Princess Alexandra when she came for the 75th anniversary of my unit, the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Victoria, BC).

God save our gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen:
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen.

Sith Happens... Again!

Obi Wan knows...

We saw Revenge of the Sith again tonight. Loads of goodness the second time around, encouraging more thought and discussion. I can't wait to see it again! Right now I am reading the Labyrinth of Evil, and then I intend to re-read Revenge of the Sith (and watch Episodes 1 & 2, Clone Wars) before seeing the movie for a third time. I can't wait to see it again!

In our expanded Universe, there can never be too much Star Wars. Duncan is thinking we are going to explore the Star Wars role playing game (let me know if you are interested all you Edmontonians). Watch for updates.

Quick Update...

I am such a geek!

Pleased easily, I am.

And my toys please me. Duncan bought me Luke to celebrate our waiting in line for the 12:01am May 19th showing of Revenge of the Sith, and the rest Duncan and Deven got for me when we were in Red Deer for dinner. Yes, that is the covted Darth Vader Burger King Toy. That's how special I am!

After we watched ROTS we slept a couple of hours and then headed to Banff, dropping the kids off in Calgary first. The couple of days in Banff were heavenly. Then we picked Deven up in Calgary and brought him back with us for the long weekend. It's going to be fun - we've rented movies and are likely going to see ROTS again (ofcourse).

Revenge of the Sith = Great! I liked it alot and found that having read the book before hand was beneficial for having all the back story that they weren't able to include in the movie but alluded to. I really am such a geek! Seeing that I am married to the world's biggest Star Wars fan I can attest that this experience has consumed us in ways that most people wouldn't understand, and it has for weeks even. Wesley, Raven, Quynn, Brett and Beatrice joined us for the movie. We waited in line for hours, but luckily they sat us at 9:00PM. We had great seats, and there were light saber battles, great costumes and a beachball that occupied us in the theatre while we waited for 12:01AM. I will likely blog more about the movie later, but it's been a long day and I want to go play with the boys (video games, people!).

Lots of politics lately, of course. But that's a blog for a different day!

The Canadian Rockies - Grand Masterpiece of the West

Enjoying Banff

Banff is a beautiful place, and one Duncan and I love to be. This time we stayed in the Banff Centre. I love how soothed the mountains makes my soul. I love the river and the fresh air, the trees and the wildlife. Before we left we a delicious breakfast at Melissa's Misteak ("our" place in Banff) and had a chance to go shopping. We also stopped in Canmore and then picked Deven up in Calgary and brought him back to Edmonton with us. It's been a great week and it promises to be an even better weekend.

Life's hardest lessons are the most tragic...

My daughter, Raven, learned some hard real life lessons yesterday when she inadvertantly witnessed a fatal collision in Calgary (Bonaventure Dr. S.W.). She was with her Dad when they watched a young woman speed by, only to have her tire blow, causing her to lose control of her vehicle. Her car rammed a minivan from behind, sending it airborne and into a roll... Out of the three people in the mini van only a 5 year old boy was wearing a seat belt. The woman driving was thrown clear of her van and landed head first on the road, while the other woman in the van was sprawled percariously across the back seat of the van with her legs hanging out of the back window (she's in serious condition). The offending car hit yet another car before it stopped.

Raven had to go with her Dad when he went to help. He checked for a pulse on the woman on the ground but she was dead, and then he helped an off duty policeman get the boy out of the van. Firefighters had to cut the roof off to get the other woman out. Raven saw up close the affects and graphic results of both speeding and not wearing your seat belt. I don't think it's anything that she is going to forget any time soon.

People, slow down. Wear your seat belts. What do you have to lose?

My Chosen One

Jedi Master Duncan

HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!!!

Darth Vader

Darth Vader

"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
- Darth Vader, A New Hope

"Apology accepted, Captain Needa."
- Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

"No, I am your father!"
- Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it further."
- Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

"The force is with you young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet."
- Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

"I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am."
- Darth Vader, Return of the Jedi

"You don't know the power of the Dark Side!"
- Darth Vader, Return of the Jedi

"Your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for... sister! So. You have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will."
- Darth Vader, Return of the Jedi

"You already have, Luke. You already have. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister... you were right."
- Darth Vader, Return of the Jedi

"Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes."
- Darth Vader, Return of the Jedi

Han Solo

Han Solo

"You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon? It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs."
- Han Solo, A New Hope

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
- Han Solo, A New Hope

"Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: Me!"
- Han Solo, A New Hope

"You know, sometimes I amaze even myself."
- Han Solo, A New Hope

"Laugh it up, fuzzball."
- Han Solo, The Empire Strikes Back

"You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There aren't enough scoundrels in your life."
- Han Solo, The Empire Strikes Back

Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker

"I want to come with you to Alderaan. There is nothing here for me now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."
- Luke Skywalker, A New Hope

"I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you."
- Luke Skywalker, A New Hope

"You've failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
- Luke Skywalker, Return of the Jedi

"You're wrong, Leia. You have that power too. In time you'll learn to use it as I have. The Force runs strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. And... my sister has it. Yes. It's you, Leia."
- Luke Skywalker, Return of the Jedi

"I can't kill my own father."
- Luke Skywalker, Return of the Jedi

"It is the name of your true self, you've only forgotten. I know there is good in you, the Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully. That was why you couldn't destroy me, that's why you won't bring me to your emperor now."
- Luke Skywalker, Return of the Jedi

"Your thoughts betray you, Father. I feel the good in you, the conflict."
- Luke Skywalker, Return of the Jedi

Princess Leia

Princess Leia Organa

"General Kenobi: Years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars; now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person; but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to Alderaan has failed. I've placed information vital to the survival of the rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope."
- Princess Leia Organa, A New Hope

"Darth Vader. Only you could be so bold."
- Princess Leia Organa, A New Hope

"Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder."
- Princess Leia Organa, The Empire Strikes Back

"Would it help if I got out and pushed?"
- Princess Leia Organa, The Empire Strikes Back

"Han, it isn't like that at all. He's my brother."
- Princess Leia Organa, Return of the Jedi

Anakin Skywalker

Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker

"You're the closest thing I have to a father."
- Anakin Skywalker, Attack of the Clones

"My memory of her is fading, I don't want to lose that memory. I don't want to stop seeing her face."
- Anakin Skywalker, Attack of the Clones

"I wasn't strong enough to save you mum. I wasn't strong enough, but I promise I won't fail again."
- Anakin Skywalker, Attack of the Clones

"I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too! They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals! I HATE THEM!"
- Anakin Skywalker, Attack of the Clones

"One day, I will become the greatest Jedi EVER! I will even learn how to stop people from dying!"
- Anakin Skywalker, Attack of the Clones

"Something is happening. I'm not the Jedi I should be."
- Anakin Skywalker, Revenge of the Sith

"Is it possible to learn this power?"
- Anakin Skywalker, Revenge of the Sith

"The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me."
- Anakin Skywalker, Revenge of the Sith

Anakin Skywalker

Little Anakin Skywalker

"Are you an angel?"
- Anakin Skywalker, The Phantom Menace

"No one can kill a Jedi."
- Anakin Skywalker, The Phantom Menace

"Mom, you said that the biggest problem in the universe is no one helps each other."
- Anakin Skywalker, The Phantom Menace

"I don't want things to change."
- Anakin Skywalker, The Phantom Menace

Padme Amidala

Padme Amidala: Queen, Senator, Angel

"I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war."
– Queen Padme Amidala, The Phantom Menace

"Sometimes there are things no one can fix."
- Padme Amidala, Attack of the Clones

"You're not all-powerful, Annie." – Padme Amidala, Attack of the Clones

"I'm not afraid to die. I've been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life."
– Padme Amidala, Attack of the Clones

"Anakin, you're breaking my heart!"
- Padme Amidala, Revenge of the Sith

Shmi Skywalker

Shmi Skywalker

"There was no father. I carried him, I gave birth to him, I raised him. I can't explain what happened."
– Shmi Skywalker, The Phantom Menace

"You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting." – Shmi Skywalker, The Phantom Menace

"Now, be brave, and don't look back."
– Shmi Skywalker, The Phantom Menace

"Now I am complete."
- Shmi Skywalker, Attack of the Clones

Obi Wan Kenobi

Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi

"The council has granted me permission to train you. You will be a Jedi, I promise."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Phantom Menace

"Why do I get the feeling you'll be the death of me?"
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Attack of the Clones

"Be mindful of your thoughts Anakin. They'll betray you."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Attack of the Clones

"And don't forget, she's a politician, and they're *not* to be trusted."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Attack of the Clones

"Who could have done this?"
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Revenge of the Sith

"You were the chosen one!"
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Revenge of the Sith

"For more than a thousand generations the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. Before the dark times. Before the Empire."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope

"In my experience there's no such thing as luck."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."
– Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope

"Use the Force, Luke."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope

"A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father."
– Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope

"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
– Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope

"Luke, don't give in to hate – that leads to the dark side."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Empire Strikes Back

"He's more machine now than man; twisted and evil."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Return of the Jedi

"You're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Return of the Jedi

Qui Gon Jinn

Jedi Master Qui Gon Jinn

"Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts."
- Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace

"I will do what I must, Obi-Wan."
- Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace

"There's always a bigger fish."
- Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace

"These Federation types are cowards. The negotiations will be brief."
- Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace

"Remember: Your focus determines your reality."
- Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace

Jedi Master Yoda

Jedi Master Yoda

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you."
- Yoda, The Phantom Menace

"Mmm. Lost a planet, Master Obi-Wan has. How embarrassing. How embarrassing."
- Yoda, Attack of the Clones

"Pain, suffering, death I feel. Something terrible has happened. Young Skywalker is in pain. Terrible pain."
- Yoda, Attack of the Clones

"The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is."
- Yoda, Attack of the Clones

"Victory! Victory you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen, begun the clone war has."
- Yoda, Attack of the Clones

"The fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side"
– Yoda, Revenge of the Sith

"Twisted by the dark side young Skywalker has become."
– Yoda, Revenge of the Sith

"You must unlearn what you have learned."
- Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
- Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

"No. There is another."
- Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

"Luke, when gone am I... the last of the Jedi will you be."
- Yoda, Return of the Jedi

"Luke, the Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned. Luke, there is... another... Sky... walker."
- Yoda, Return of the Jedi

C3P0, Human Cyborg Relations

C-3PO and R2D2

"I can assure you they will never get me onto one of those dreadful starships!"
– C-3PO, The Phantom Menace

"We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life."
- C-3PO, A New Hope

"No, I don't think he likes you at all.... I don't like you either."
- C-3PO, A New Hope

"That malfunctioning little twirp, this is all his fault."
- C-3PO, A New Hope

"I'm rather embarrassed, General Solo, but it appears you are to be the main course at a banquet in my honour."
- C-3PO, Return of the Jedi

"It's against my programming to impersonate a deity."
– C-3PO, Return of the Jedi

Artoo! Am not! Artoo! Am not!

We are going to see REVENGE OF THE SITH for the first time at 12:01AM May 19th, 2005. Thats the very first showing. When are you planning to see it?

I am going to be posting my favourite character quotes, every day, until then.

May the Force be with you.

Who doesn't want the afternoon off?

Harper and the Conservatives/Bloc Coalition adjourned our Parliament early today.

They also collectively pledged not to attend any parlimentary committee meetings, EXCEPT the one concerning same sex marriage (which they are committed to defeating). That says a lot to me. Canadian voters, witness what is important to this party.

And enjoy your paid afternoon off, since I am paying for it.

May 19th is Showtime

So we will have a confidence vote on the budget May 19th. If the Liberals lose the vote Parliament will be dissolved and we will go to an election, likely June 27th.

Two recent polls suggest an election now would not likely return a much different government. A Strategic Counsel poll (Globe and Mail) showed support for the Conservatives at 31% and the Liberals at 27%, whereas a Decima poll (CanWest newspapers) showed the Liberals at 37% and the Conservatives at 28%.

Ready or not, here we go.

Harper Out of Order

So today the Opposition managed to win a motion in the House of Commons asking the public accounts committee "to recommend that the government resign" (basically instructing the committee to rewrite it's report so that it calls on the government to resign).

A committee?

Stephen Harper then demanded that the Prime Minister formally call a vote of confidence based on this ammendment.

As it appears parliamentary precedent does not imply todays vote qualifies as a motion of confidence it is doubtful it will be treated as one by the government.

Further, Speaker Peter Milliken ruled Harper's demand out of order.

The opposition could call another vote on one of the three upcoming days where they control the parliamentary agenda.

I just hope they can manage to make it an actual, legitimate confidence vote. Is that too much to ask?

Kingdom of Heaven = Good

Balian of Ibelin

"You are not what you were born, but what you have it in yourself to be."
- Godfrey of Ibelin

Kingdom of Heaven

Missing: Canadian Leadership

Sgt Ernest Smith
Canada's last surviving VC recipient (1944)

"I owe those guys so much."
- Steven Scheffer
(liberated by Canadian soldiers in 1945 Holland
when he was 7).

Really, we all do.

Despite this, my Prime Minister chose to miss the celebrations yesterday honouring them, showing up a day late with all my other uppity federal leaders.

I don’t care to hear their fervent excuses. I don’t buy Harper’s plaintive cries of not being able to go without the PMO - he means it wasn’t worth it to him to spend his own money to go a day or so early. Same with Layton and Duceppe. There really isn’t an excuse for any of them. They should have been there.

And while our glorious leaders point fingers and play the blame game I find myself increasingly discouraged that they couldn’t even humble themselves to plan a respite so this important event could be properly marked and our Vets, many of whom might not have another chance to celebrate this day, could be shown the respect that they deserve.

It really is the least they could have done.

Lest We Forget.

On the Eastern Front

"I bow low before all veterans of Great Patriotic War."
- Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia today celebrates the 60th anniversary of VE Day and the end to what they refer to as the "Great Patriotic War."

I have to admit I might be biased from serving in the Cold War Era Armed Forces, but I never could tell if Russia was really an Ally or if we just shared a common enemy... maybe that's a question best left to Duncan to answer.

EDIT: Read this article on the U of A site today, made me think of this post of course. It addresses the quagmire of the Eastern front battles. It's brief, but read if you are interested: Understanding the Great Patriotic War.

In search of my mother's garden I found my own

Mother's Day 2005

"Mother: the most beautiful word
on the lips of mankind."
- Kahlil Gibran

Triple Dog Bullshit

After promising Premier Dalton McGuinty $5.75 billion in federal financial support over the next five years our Prime Minister justified his "generousity" with this statement:

"Federalism only works, Canada only works, if there is a national commitment to shared prosperity and fairness for all Canadians, no matter where they live."
- Prime Minister Paul Martin

I'll call triple dog bullshit on that one.

Ontario votes are all that has ever mattered to the federal liberal party. I mean really - "shared prosperity and fairness for all Canadians no matter where they live?" What about Newfoundland? Nunavut? British Columbia? Saskatchewan?

Hello?

It doesn't matter what you call it...

On May 7 1945 the German High Command surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. Victory in Europe was proclaimed the very next day.

Germany's National Holocaust Memorial

Sixty years later, Germany will "celebrate" this event with what it is calling "Democracy Day."

However, many seemingly confused Germans wonder and debate whether they are marking victory, defeat, liberation, democracy, the end of fascism, or just plain collective guilt. Some Germans will protest and march with neo-Nazi groups through Berlin's streets while the "National Democratic Party" calls for an "end to the cult of guilt" after "60 years of lies."

On my side of the pond, we call it VE Day. And we know what it means.

Canadian Living Magazine

Starring Wesley in:

Me to We: Canadian kids help tsunami victims
Kids across the nation are reaching their helping hands over to Southeast Asia.
By Jennifer Melo, CanadianLiving.com Web editor

Cinqo des Mayo

If I had remembered what day it was this morning I might not have bothered to get out of bed.

Those who know me well enough will know that prophecy, especially "End Time Prophecy" has long been a hobby of mine, one that fascinated me through childhood and even one I studied academically along with other paranormal phenomenon. It ties in somewhat with my later research of religious fundamentalism and terrorism (helps to understand a people's prophecies as part of their motivations) if only to make things interesting. It is something I should get back to, perhaps even write about it again.

But, I digress. May 5th 2005 has long been a suggested date (in many end time communities) for the end of the world, or at least the world as we know and love it. But, as prophecy is neither an exact science nor is it without much interpretation, I suspect today shall likely pass as uneventful as May 5th 2000 did.

I'd hate the world to be ending while I was stuck at work.

That would suck.

Lost in the shadow of the Watchtower

A 14-year-old BC girl, whose chemotherapy regime has inhibited her body’s production of new blood cells, recently traveled to Toronto hoping that an Ontario Provincial Court would allow her to seek alternate cancer treatments offered in New York that would that would not involve blood transfusions.

The girl broke into tears at the end of the court hearing when the Judge ruled she must return to Vancouver for further treatment. The BC government has a current court order which will allow them to administer a blood transfusion as a part of her therapy.

As a practicing Jehovah's Witness, this girl doesn’t merely oppose her impending blood transfusion; her religious beliefs forbid her from receiving someone else's blood.

The BC Government insists she needs a blood transfusion in order to prevent her untimely death. Ultimately these provincial laws provide protection to children who are in need of urgent medical care and the government argues her religious beliefs are of no import over her basic right to life.

But a blood transfusion is not the only option in this case.

As an alternate to accepting blood transfusions, patients (of all religions) can receive a two week course of erythropoietin (a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production), but the procedure itself is much more expensive than just an ordinary transfusion, and I am not sure it is available in Canada.

I believe that every individual should have the right to influence (if not decide) the course of their own personal health management and rehabilitation, especially when it comes to selecting and refusing medical treatments. I think if this girl has such deeply held principles and religious beliefs then compassion dictates her wishes should be given (at least) serious consideration.

Jehovah's Witness’s, rightly or wrongly, have an absolute prohibition on members receiving blood transfusions (based on their interpretation of 3 bible passages: Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:10-14 and Acts 15:20-29). The theological argument revolves around the sacredness of blood, and the decision by the Council at Jerusalem to "abstain from blood". They literally interpret these passages as permanent injunctions against taking blood or blood products into their body for any reason. Even if it means they will die.

Is it controversial? Yes, even among Jehovah’s Witness’s. Is it cult like? Yes, but so is most religious doctrine. Does that remove elements of rationality for people? Yes. Do I think they are wrong? Yes. But that’s me, the Religious Scholar and Academic, speaking. My education can not supersede my humanity.

Of course, I donate my blood, giving of myself so that others may heal faster or live longer. It’s one of the most precious things I have, one of the most intimate things I can share, and the easiest thing to give. It’s hard to imagine not giving it; quite simply, it is the gift of life.

But when is a gift no longer a gift? Would I force it on someone? Would I want it forced on myself?

I fear there are no easy answers to any of this.

Life is too hectic sometimes

I really need to find away to honour my family and create quality time we can all enjoy without letting work and other commitments get in the way. I am too busy. We are all too busy. Everything is great, but every once in a while I remember I should be working to make it better anyways.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today my Mom turns 60 years old. It is her first birthday in 36 years without my Dad, and this month brings to a close a long year of those first's for her. It's too bad that he isn't here to share such a milestone with her. I guess I could say that about everything though...

Bone Marrow Donation Update

My human leukocyte antigens (HLA), were assessed for bone marrow donation when I joined the registry back in 2001. There are three designated HLA’s integral to bone marrow transplants (HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DRB1). You inherit one set of these three antigens from each parent giving you a total of six HLA’s. In the case of bone marrow donation, tissue typing is critical, so a perfect "six-of-six" match is required. I am a "six-of-six" unrelated match with this person, the recipient, which is fairly remarkable in itself.

Today I went to the Canadian Blood Services in Edmonton for further blood typing to ascertain my compatibility. As well as testing me for every infectious disease it is even remotely possible for me to have, they took enough blood (10 vials) for detailed DNA analysis to compare the DNA code of my HLA’s to those of the recipient. They will also crossmatch our tissue to further determine antigen compatibility. In this test, my white blood cells will be mixed with blood from the recipient to establish if I am compatible with the recipient, meaning how the recipient's immune system reacts will verify if it will ultimately accept my donated marrow or destroy it.

The blood and tissue typing is so rigorous because compatibility between the donor and recipient is essential to a successful transplant. Many potential donors are ruled out in this stage, indeed the odds of two individuals matching are apparently 1 in 50,000, so I guess we are playing the waiting game until the results are in.

Depending on those results, the next step for me is a complete physical exam, review of my medical history and possibly a chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, blood tests, urine tests, gynecological exam (ewww) and mammograph... etc. Then the recipient will begin undergoing a massive chemotherapy regime designed to temporarily suppress their own immune system, to facilitate a successful transplant and acceptance of the bone marrow.

For now, I am just letting be what will be. I am sure the path will soon become clear, but I am happy to walk it for as long as there is a path to follow.

In the meantime, I encourage all of my readers to consider placing their names on the Unrelated Bone Marrow Registry, regardless of what country you are in. If you have any questions about it, you can email me.

MAYDAY... MAYDAY... MAYDAY...

OMG! It's May already? When did that happen?

I forget to do my taxes. Bad, bad Allie.

NB - Please note this is not actually a distress or emergency message, and I do not require any search and rescue units (unless they are very cute and can do taxes, then please send right away).

Allie to Tories: I Don't Want An Election!

Compromise. That is the natural essence of a minority government. It should be self evident that a minority government needs to communicate and work with the other parties to ensure that there will be enough votes for legislation (or budgets) to pass.

AND... This compromise is exactly what Canadians voted for!

The proposed changes to the budget mean more money for the social programs most Canadians want and are happy to see added. Canadians DO want tax cuts for small businesses, lower tuition fees, investment in the environment, a plan for Kyoto, and a commitment to affordable housing.

I am almost entirely sure that Canadians DON’T want an election.

The more Stephen Harper complains the more it seems to me inappropriate conduct for someone who is trying to convince me that he's Prime Minister material. Harper’s continual threats to bring down the government at his first possible chance aggravate me like fingernails on a chalk board. I find his attitude to be more than a little arrogant - Canadian voters did have a recent chance to make him PM and yet we didn’t. I am beginning to doubt there’s significant reason or interest to launch him into power now.

Our government should demonstrate its ability to work together and make this Parliament work before we are forced into dealing with another one. An election might be necessary sooner than most of us would want but it is certainly not necessary "at the earliest possible opportunity."

When Harper does succeed in winning a non confidence vote he will effectively begin his campaign looking like the champion of corporate tax breaks and enemy of the ordinary Canadian (who would have benefited from the budget additions).

How many Canadians will want to vote for that?

Polls show the Conservatives with only a narrow lead over the Liberals. I suspect, if forced to election too soon, the Canadian vote will register its protest. As a voter, and ordinary Canadian myself, I would simply like to see the government govern. Get on with it, all of you.

Allie's latest cause - Traffic Safety and School Zones in Edmonton

My regular readers will recognize that it was specific events of this past year that made Traffic Safety the newest cause I have been working on. When I discovered that there were no school speed zones in Edmonton I decided right then and there to take it to the Mayor, because out of the little and big things wrong in our city, surely keeping kids safe and raising awareness of speed issues past schools was worth bringing up.

Remember I met April 9th with Mayor Mandel? We had a nice Saturday morning meeting to discuss the lack of school zones in Edmonton and issues related to that. He agreed with me, said he was going to make it a priority, said he would get back to me on his progress, thanked me and sent me on my way with some delicious baked goods. I felt good about the meeting, but remained humbly reserved given the nature of politics and rhetoric.

Duncan just called me a couple of minutes ago to point me to this news brief on 630 CHED


School Zones May Make a Come Back
Apr, 27 2005 - 8:19 AM

EDMONTON/630 CHED - We haven't seen school zones in Edmonton since the '70s.
They were done away with because the thinking at the time was specific marked crosswalks would do a better job.

But now the city is realizing, they're going to great expense puting in lighting mechanisms, yet our safety rate is about the same as any other city.

The city will talk to the two school boards, and police to see if the school zone question needs another look.

They'll report back in September.

It's nice to see this in motion. I feel it's the least I could do, as much for my brother as for my kids.

The price of politics

And I am not currently very fond of our liberal government either... But this is why I am always so conflicted when it comes to my vote federally. Provincially I am conservative, but I keep a wary eye on the federal "Conservative" party for evidence of the old ways (Reform) that did so much damage in my youth. They insist it’s not there, but every once in a while vigilance discovers it.

Conservative leader Stephen Harper says there's no way he can support the newly offered budget, now that "it's been turned into an NDP budget."

The newly ammended budget is the same budget Harper was previously willing to support, except it now includes an additional $4.6 billion investment in Canadians. The money, only part of our projected surplus, will now be allotted for the environment, affordable housing, foreign aid, training programs, and post-secondary education.

So, the question is, what is it exactly that Harper is opposed to?

• He is opposing helping lower income Canadian families find affordable housing.
• He is opposing helping unemployed Canadians attain job training and better jobs.
• He is opposing helping Canadian students begin and finish their education.
• He is opposing helping fund measures that will heal our Canadian environment.

I realize the politics behind a move like this are opportunistic, Harper is thinking he can be Prime Minister if he opposes this budget, and likely he is right. But at what cost? What is really bad about the amendments to this budget? There will be an election soon enough, but if he is so willing to hurt Canadians in the mad rush to claim his trophy, I’m not sure I want him to be my PM.

I for one will be watching how he governs his party in this next little while very carefully.

ORANGE!

Bone Marrow. It's in me to give...

Almost 5 years ago I added my name to the Canadian (Blood Services) Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry. I never really gave it much more thought than that until they called last week and said I had been identified as a potential donor. Today I had a telephone "health assesment" interview and early next week I go for blood tests to determine just how close a match I am.

I have no idea who the intended recipient is, or where they might live, or even what's wrong with them - and there's a good chance I never will know. For now I can only hope that when all the testing is finished that my DNA is a close enough match for them to use my bone marrow. That could take a month, maybe a bit more, before we know.

In the meantime I feel oddly aware of every choice I make that impacts on my bodily health, almost like when I was pregnant and a life depended on those choices. I sopose such a heightened level of awareness can only benefit me in the long run regardless of what happens. There were actually very few restrictions I had to agree to for the next 6 months, most of them easy to make, like no tatoos/peircings, no new sex partners, no IV Drug usage, etc etc. But I felt bad when I told Duncan that I had to agree not to get pregnant for six months (or until this is over). We've been talking about it alot lately, talking leads to planning and planning leads to dreaming... and he looked so sad when I told him.

But 6 months isn't really that long in the grand scheme of a lifetime. Or, in this case, two lifetimes.

Dogged Determination

Pssst... Luna! Look at me... making a hole...


...almost.. through...

Princess, the little dog that lives next door, obviously decided this morning that no mere fence was going to stand in between her and Luna anymore. That's a lot of digging for a dog with such little paws, I must admit she tried so hard, and had almost suceeded when her owner's found her (half in their yard, half in mine) and moved her over to the other side of their yard. Where she sits, pining.

Don't worry, Princess. The real difference between the impossible and the possible lies within your determination. With determination such as yours, I am almost certain you will find a way!

Never doubt that one person can change the world

... or make a difference in it.

Once upon a time I saved a baby's life. I was in the right place, at the right time and just happened to notice (with a stroke of providence I'm sure) a baby crouching between two parked cars as we drove by. It was minus 25 without the windchill, and in a blur of frenzied reaction I yelled for my friend to stop and had already jumped out before I realized the car had stopped, my jacket off to wrap around his tiny, impossibly cold, body. He was dressed only in his diaper, PJ top and winter boots. I brought him back into the car, where I held him, heat full on, and waited for the adult we expected to be out desperately searching, to come along.

After a while, when no adult appeared, we phoned the police, who came and got the little tyke (who had finally become warm enough to start crying). They told us if we hadn't had stopped when we did it would have been too late for him, but they didn't have to tell us that. We already knew.

It's a feeling I can't begin to describe, full of love, opportunity, compassion and satisfaction. It's a feeling I have been thinking about since I got a mystery call from the Unrelated Bone and Marrow Transplant Office yesterday. I have been part of the program for years, but they tell you it's rare to get a call (it's hard to match unrelated donors with patients). They are going to call me back today at work, and its hard to put it out of my mind.

An old Hebrew saying says that by saving one life, you save the world. I'm not sure about the world, but one life is good enough.

Two is better.

I am a bomb technician...

Make Your Time
All your base are belong to us.

I feel a disturbance in the force...

Pope "the Hammer" Benedict XVI


Supreme Chancellor "the Emperor" Palpatine

Mmmmm. Disturbing this is.

I wonder if I can go to hell for this...

Spring Fling and more Bling Bling

Here are some things we have been doing these past couple of days: lunching outside, reading and basking in the sun, primping and preening the yard, planting some bulbs, walking with Duncan, tanning, spending lazy evenings at the park, readying the barbecue, peeling off the clothes, living longer days... Sun.

Kiss my butt, winter. Spring is here.

It makes it VERY hard to stay in my office and do work...

And... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Wesley is a Great Kid!

Great Kids Award 2005
Honourable Mention  

Congratulations Wesley on being one of only 188 Albertan children nominated for the prestigious Premier's Great Kids Award 2005! Congratulations on your award! With the amount of character and compassion you have shown your different communities this year, your earnest fundraising for those less fortunate, countless volunteer hours, your outstanding leadership successes, academic achievements and wonderful friendships you have maintained, even in the face of so many large personal loses this past year, it's no wonder your school thought you should be nominated for this recognition!

Can you tell I am a proud parent? I can't stop smiling!

When Pigs Fly...

The Pig Olympics  

Believe it or not, thousands of people are flocking to city park in Shanghai, China to witness an event where pigs run over hurdles, jump through hoops, dive into water and swim.

Yes, I said Pigs. They call it the Pig Olympics, and the pigs apparently start training soon after birth in order for a chance to compete for a gold medal.

I guess it beats being bacon.

Dispensing with the platitudes…

Signs I maybe should have gone shopping:

* I'm drinking wine just because I am thirsty
* There isn’t any toilet paper in the house
* There is nothing resembling fresh produce in the fridge (not even in the left overs)
* My son went to school today with a "butter sandwich" for lunch
* I found the dish soap in the bathroom (being used as hand soap)
* I owe my daughter’s girl guides group an increasing amount for the cookies we pilfer
* I'm saving the last egg because I could bake something if push comes to shove

Thought to self

Maybe I need a cheering squad...

Look at the Lonely People

"All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?"

These lyrics going over and over in my head today... Why are people so disconnected?

Been in an odd sort of self reflection (refraction?) period since the most recent family death, which has led to a non-compulsion to blog. Or perhaps it is better defined as lack of inspiration. Regardless, my apologies. It will not continue, as there is so much to blog about (new job, meeting the Mayor, upcoming trips to Banff, Cochrane, Toronto and Vancouver Island, politics and much Star Wars). I will find something to say. I just need to focus and centre on the living force, mindful of the present.

Running out of money...

Guess it is time to seriously start looking for a job. Thats really the story of life isn't it? Maybe I should just open a coffee shop - it's something I have always thought of doing, a little trendy spot that people would like to go, with local art on the walls and maybe a small bookstore attached...

Vacancy of the Apostolic See

The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has died.

The Pope is passing

Pope John Paul II  

"A Man of Peace"

Born Karol Wojtyla on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland. In 1938, he began studying philosophy and literature at the university in Krakow which the Nazis closed when they invaded in 1939. To escape death or deportation, Wojtyla worked in a quarry and later took an office job. After deciding to become a priest, Wojtyla studied secretly in the evenings with the Krakow cardinal. Wojtyla was ordained in 1946 and became Poland's youngest bishop at 38, was promoted to Archbishop of Krakow in 1964 and made cardinal three years later by Pope Paul VI. On October 16, 1978, Wojtyla was elected the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. He was the 264th successor of St. Peter and, at 58, the youngest Pope for more than a century.

Pope not doing so hot...

Italian media are reporting that Pope John Paul has been given "Last Rites" (the sacrament of the sick and the dying) although Vatican officials have not confirmed.

Time line: “through sickness and health.”

• 1984: Michael Schiavo marries Terri Schindler after being engaged just five months.
• 1990: Terri Schiavo collapses in her home due to a suspected heart attack, and as a result her brain is deprived of oxygen, leaving her with brain damage.
• 1992: Michael Schiavo informs a medical malpractice jury, from which he was seeking 20 million dollars, that he would care for his wife for the rest of his life, that she would live a normal life span of at least 50 years, and that he would provide her with rehabilitation and therapy during that time. "She's my life, and I wouldn't trade her for the world… I believe in the vows that I took with my wife. Through sickness, in health, for richer or poorer… I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I'm going to do that."
• 1992: Michael Schiavo wins more than $1 million in a malpractice suit. Subsequently Michael Schiavo stops all therapy, despite medical records indicating his wife is responsive; and denies all food/water given by mouth to his wife, he has nurses who feed Terri by spoon and by bottle fired.
• 1993: Michael Schiavo prevents any further swallowing tests and swallowing therapy and further tries to deny treatment of an infection his wife has (the nursing home where she was at the time overruled him and treated the infection. Schiavo later told a judge under oath that he thought the infection would develop to sepsis and would be fatal); in response Michael Schiavo has a Do Not Resuscitate Order put on his wife; He refuses to release medical information to her parents (despite a court order requiring him to do so); In a deposition Michael Schiavo was forced to admit that he had already been involved in two lengthy relationships since his wife’s collapse (Trudy Capone and Cindy Shook).
• 1995: Michael Schiavo moves in with another woman he has been having an affair with, Jodie Centonze; Consigned Terri to a hospice (which she was legally not supposed to be in); Ordered the hospice workers not to clean Terri's teeth anymore; forbids pictures and video footage taken of Terri; Michael Schiavo says repeatedly to Carla Sauer Iyer, a nurse at the hospice, "When is she going to die?," "Has she died yet?" and "When is that bitch gonna die?"
• Michael Schiavo repeatedly tells Trudy Capone (a nurse who cared for Terri and dated Michael) that he and his wife had never discussed what to do if she was incapacitated. Capone says Michael was always asking her, "What should I do?" She described Schiavo as obsessive and claimed he stalked her after their breakup, as did Cindy Shook.
• 1998: Michael Schiavo suddenly "remembers" that his wife had made some remarks regarding her Grandmother who was being kept alive at thae time on a respirator, saying that she casually remarked "If I ever have to be a burden to anybody, I don't want to live like that." Michael Schiavo then hires sensational right to die advocate/lawyer George Felos, who has a court determine that Michael's sudden memory was clear evidence of Terri’s wish to die; prior to filing his May 1998 petition to disconnect his wife's feeding tube, Michael Schiavo got engaged to Jodie Centonze (He has since had 2 children out of wedlock with Centonze, whom he calls his fiancé).
• 2000: Michael Schiavo places Terri in a private hospice (where he has greater control over her care), despite the fact she is not terminally ill; Michael Schiavo controls his wife’s visitors list, first requiring they have his approval and then removing visitors at “his discretion” including Terri’s parents; Michael Schiavo refuses to fix Terri’s wheel chair (which she has used since 1994 to go places like the museum and the hair salon) and decides from now on she will not leave her room at the hospice; Michael Schiavo files again to have his wives feeding tube removed.
• 2001: Terri's feeding tube was disconnected and reconnected based on evidence given by Cindy Shook in which she stated that when she once asked Michael Schiavo about treatment for Terri he responded, "How the hell should I know? We never spoke about this. My God, I was only 25 years old. We were young. We never spoke of this."; Michael Schiavo then ordered Terri's shades down at all times so no sunlight would enter her room.
• 2003: Tube removed/reinserted for the second time; Michael Schiavo subsequently removes all family pictures from Terri's room, denies flowers from her family and friends, denies certain CDs to be played for Terri, and refuses to allow her to listen to music with headphones.
• 2004: A psychiatric assessment by Dr. Carole Lieberman M.D., M.P.H. reports that Michael Schiavo has been under long term psychiatric care, including being prescribed several psychotropic medications, and that one of his treating therapists (Dr. Peter Kaplan) had advised that the police should have been involved after Michael Schiavo argued with and attacked Terri’s sister, Susanne.
• 2005: Feeding tube removed (this time for 14 days). At the time of death Michael Schiavo has Terri's family escorted from the hospice. Michael Schiavo claims his wife died "clutching" her favourite stuffed toy.

Terri Schiavo has just died

December 3, 1963 - March 31, 2005

Terri Schiavo's final hours of life

Michael Schiavo has again ordered that Terri Schiavo's parents and siblings are not allowed in the hospice to see Schiavo in her final hours of life. Michael Schiavo gave no reason for this action, and has armed police ensuring that the Schindlers do not reenter Terri's room.

Schiavo has gone a full two weeks now without food or water.

Bastards

I don't understand why the 11th Circuit Court would agree to consider a petition by Terri Schiavo's family for a new hearing and then change it's mind 15 hours later.

This isn't some sort of game here, and it's not right to play with people's hearts. How terrible for her family. Would have been better if the court had not interrupted their process and interjected some kind of hope just to yank it away. It feels... well, like bullying.

Who’s to say my world isn’t prettier?

A discussion with a patient:

"You want to know a secret?" he continued, leaning in with the confidence of a father about to tell his son the ways of the world. "I’m color blind. All these beautiful flowers… and I can’t be sure I’m even seeing their intended color."

I thought for a moment about what he had said. Intended color.

Many philosophers have struggled with the subjectivity of our individual experiences in life. Reality is no more concrete than our perception of it. Color blindness is perhaps the best example of how two people, gazing at the same photograph, can so differently filter the outside world through their disparate senses…

"A lot of people pity me because I don’t see the right colors," he told me. "That never bothered me much. First of all I don’t know what I’m missing, and second of all who’s to say my world isn’t prettier."

Via: The Examining Room of Dr Charles

Good News

The Good News is my dearest girl friend Cathy had her baby yesterday – a 9lb 3 oz happy baby boy. His name is Grayson.

Breaking News...

"In the depths of winter, I finally realized that deep within me there lay an Invincible summer."
-Albert Camus
 

Well, if anything can be referred to as "11th hour" this is it... The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to consider a petition for a new hearing to decide if Terri Schiavo’s feeding may be resumed. Today it has been 13 days.

In other news The Pope is being feed through a nasal tube. Bet he’s glad he doesn’t live in Florida!

Meanwhile, also in Florida, two cases of men who starved their cattle are making it’s way through the courts. Michael Lee Swails and Christian DeNeergaard both faces charges, probation, fines and jail time for starving to death cows. Perhaps they should have married the cows... My favourite quote:

"We think some jail time is appropriate, the cows suffered tremendously."

"When is a life so worthless it can be judged to have no right to exist? Who determines that someone like Terri should die and I should live? And the most fundamental question of all: should anyone other than the person concerned have the right to decide life and death for someone who is not kept alive through artificial means?"
– Ed Smith is a retired educator and full-time writer, and he has been quadriplegic since 1998.

I hate it when people say "Terri Schiavo is not alive," or even worse "a vegetable." What do they mean by such hurtful, presumptuous statements? Who has the right to make such decrees? When did people become so offensive, especially towards people who are disabled and needing our care and/or support? It is well known that Schiavo is not actually "brain dead" (it is her cerebral cortex that does not function) and that recently more than 33 doctors and therapists (15 of whom are neurosurgeons) have publically contradicted a PVS diagnosis for her.

Without truly thinking it through, I think they mean to say that the life that Schiavo leads, especially in comparison to their own obvious standard of perfection, is meaningless, refusing even to acknowledge or recognize that she does indeed exist in many forms; to her family, friends and more importantly, to herself.

And why the headlong rush to kill her?

At some basic primeval level, Schiavo (and other’s like her) challenge their perfection, their notion of themselves and their individualty, and threatens what they worry is the ultimate degradation of that standard of humanity, or maybe better put, the standard of what is a perfect american – tall, strong, handsome, patriotic, and, well, overseas at war. It is a hateful, malignant infection brewing at the very core of american definition. It’s not new, or even uncommon, and I think I have read about this kind of struggle before, in a story called World War II. BUT, having said that, they are notions that most nations have rejected in favour of expressing compassion for their weakest citizens.

When the strong kill the weakest just because they can, definitions of who (and what)is weak begin to change. Power becomes justified as a tool of the greater good, and individuals (especially weak ones) are not always deemed beneficial to that greater good. And one day, every single one of these people are going to find themselves weaker, older, and needing care in some form or another. We'll all assume now they won't want to live that way.

Earthquake and Tsunami Watch

There has been a large earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra that registered at a magnitude 8.5. The quake was felt about 482kms away from the epicentre.

Seismologists believe this quake was centred in the same area as the Dec. 26 earthquake, leaving some speculation that the southern subduction zone (which hasn't had quake activity since the 1800's) is now in danger.

There is still no evidence the quake has spawned a tsunami, but Thailand, Japan and Sri Lanka have issued tsunami warnings and are evacuating coastal areas.

People can be so cruel...

And it's not that I necessarily believe that they mean to be, just that they judge other people before understanding what life is like for them. Just because someone leads a life that is less than their own perceived perfect quality of life, they deem it worthless (or worse decide that it should be ended). I further understand that in order to deal with these "conclusions" these people must also be blind to certain truths, because without their denial as protection they couldn't face themselves. For example, if they were to keep an open mind they might start to consider that maybe the person that Terri Schiavo is now is atleast a moderatly happy one, someone capable of enjoying a life they might not understand, and then how could they justify standing by while that life is ended, and ended in such a painfully drawn out manner - one they wouldn't even allow a serial baby rapist to endure.

Whilst we were in Calgary I was touched by the story of a little girl who lives there - a beautiful child really, a girl who will never know that such evils exists in a harsh world (we don't kill our severly disabled people in Canada), a girl who is loved - and in return loves those around her.

Her name is Eilish Wheatley, and she is 5 years old. Like Terri Schiavo, little Eilish is fed through a tube in her stomach, and like Schiavo her cerebral cortex does not function. She can't walk, but gets around her world via wheel chair (Schiavos wheelchair was taken away from her 7 years ago when her husband forbade her from leaving the hospice). She laughs when her Mom picks her up and cries when the dentist cleans her teeth.

Eilish's Mom Tricia Wheatley is angry and concerned at the Terri Schiavo case, especially that something like a feeding tube can be considered "life support".

"Life support is being ventilated with a tube to assist you to breathe when your body can't breathe on its own or having a machine keep your heart pumping, it's not feeding someone," Wheatley said, adding "I fear it is open season on the profoundly disabled."

But one of her quotes really hit home for me:

"Eilish may never walk or talk, but she does experience joy, happiness and sadness. People may not want to trade places with Eilish or Terri Schiavo, but that doesn't mean their lives aren't worth living and loving."

Courts have repeatedly accepted testimony from Michael Schiavo that Schiavo is in a "persistent vegetative state" and that she would not have wanted to be kept alive artificially.

First, PVS is the same as brain death (worse than in a coma), and people don't laugh and cry and sit up and get out of bed when they are brain dead. Also worth noting is that the medical community does not really know why a brain in this state can fix itself - like in Kate Adamson's case - or what the person knows or feels while in this state. Second, being fed is NOT being kept alive artifically as many of us would consider it when we would make similiar statements. Michael Schiavo's motives in this are obviously suspect and his claims that Schiavo said this came years after he told a court he wanted to help make his wife's life better (and after he had moved in with his mistress and sent Schaivo to a home). Third, no new evidence has even been allowed, no new tests or treatments since her rehabilitation was cut off (which, btw, doctors don't attempt to rehabilitate a brain dead person) despite the fact that medical knowledge of this situation has evolved by light years in the past ten years. Further, the courts have decided on sworn testimony already submitted even though there is much disagreement in the medical community about Schiavo's state and the american Congress directed the federal courts to look at the case from the very begining with no old evidence considered. Fourth, Schiavo was only married a couple of short years and yet this has given such complete power to her unfaithful husband that it is scary, complete enough that he is able to forbid her being fed by mouth (which nurses were fired for doing), and keep her on a feeding tube she didn't need so that he could make the argument she should die.

And lastly, Terri Schiavo is dying, but not from natural causes or even as a result of being terminally ill, but because a legal system has failed her. It pains me to imagine how much longer this ordeal might last for her. As my family bands together to wait for the death of one of our own loved ones, the fourth in the past year, I am painfully aware of the difference between life and death, and between living and dying, and of the sacred balance of trust that hangs between them.

Happy Easter Everyone

Terri Schiavo draws nearer to her state mandated death and I read that the Schindler’s have decided not to file any more motions with the federal appeals court in response to their last loss before the Florida Supreme Court. I do think that they have done an admiral job of trying to protect their daughter and my heart goes out to them now in the last days of this horrid waiting game. I wish them all peace, especially on today. Also I think it is dispicable that the court has denied Schiavo last rites.

Happy Easter.

7 days and counting

Someone somewhere once compared hope to a bird that sings to the dawn while it is still dark. Maybe the human emotion of hope is more based on expectation and trust than we imagine, but truly at it's best it is who we are, all of us together in a common human struggle find the courage and the capacity within us to hope, even if just a little, and even in the bleakest of times.

For a second time, Judge Whittemore has ruled against Bob and Mary Schindler. This seems to be the end of the last hope for Terri Schiavo. Whittemore acknowledged that there existed a larger emotional rhetoric that he was unable to consider in the courts judgement. He further acknowledged and praised the lawyers' civility, saying it was "a credit to their professionalism - and to Terri."

There are many thoughts right now to express but instead I will leave you to enjoy some quotes from my collection that span the wisdom of the ages.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
- Confucious

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world."
- Anonymous

"Justice will only be achieved when those who are not injured by crime feel as indignant as those who are."
- King Solomon, 635-577 BC

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
- Albert Einstein

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves."
- Abraham Lincoln

"Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience."
- George Washington

Crossing my fingers

Citing "evidentiary issues that were ignored in the first crack at federal court" the Schindlers have gone back to Judge James Whittemore to ask him to reconsider his previous ruling. Whittemore has scheduled a hearing on the matter for 6:00PM today.

Joe's Schiavo confession

Joe Scarborough on Joe's Real Deal
 

Congressman Joe Scarborough: As you may know, I have spent the last week on my TV and radio show fighting to save the life of Terri Schiavo. Like many opinion givers, lawmakers, and American citizens, I am shocked and saddened by the forced starvation of a young, helpless woman who is being sentence to death simply because she cannot feed herself. Applying this standard, infants, Alzheimers patients, the elderly and infirmed would face a court ordered death (click to watch video).

Via: MSNBC and Jackson's Junction

Water is life

A 10 yr old boy arrested for bringing Terri some water